TiVO Licensing to New DVD Players

TiVO inside:

TiVo Inc., whose technology allows television viewers to pause and replay live shows, on Thursday said it will license a bare-bones version of its service primarily to makers of DVD players.

In an effort to increase its subscriber base, TiVo will license consumer electronics makers to build devices with TiVo Basic, a free service that will allow users to pause live TV shows and record programs by time and date. The basic service will not include the enhanced features like the ability to save any film starring Christopher Walken.

But each box will allow users to upgrade to TiVo’s full service, which offers fee-paying subscribers the option to record up to 80 hours of programs, including an entire season of one show. The enhanced system also automatically records shows based on users’ viewing habits.

All TiVo Basic products will be shipped with the ability to upgrade to the full TiVo service, which costs about $13 a month or a one-time fee of $299.

TiVo said Toshiba Corp. would be the first company to produce a DVD player with the TiVo Basic service, with its device available at retail stores later this year. [Reuters]

Anything that spreads the PVR gospel is good for the consumer